job description

A few months ago I attempted to make a video job description with a colleague for a new paid internship we just opened for Generation Listen. It bombed. Our intentions were in the right place, but our execution missed. I’ve tried a few others. Some turned out okay, so were so bad they couldn’t make a blooper real. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned so far as I’ve experimented with video.

Here are some of the things we got wrong:

No script. The idea to make the above mentioned video was spontaneous. We thought having an unscripted discussion about the opportunity was the best way to convey our excitement about the role. While I don’t necessarily think you need to have every word scripted, having at least an outline of what you plan to cover is a better way to go.

No plan. If you’re developing a solo shot video (maybe of the hiring manager) with no editing you’re good to go. If there are two or more people in the shot, you need to have an idea of when you’ll kick it back and forth to each other. Natural banter is good, awkward transitions are not.

Time of day matters. Shooting a video late in the day is probably not the way to go. You’re punchy, it’s late.

Setting matters. What’s your ideal backdrop? We ended up doing several takes from a variety of angles to find one we liked for video two below. Is there a black background? Remember black shirt = floating head.

K.I.S.S. Unless you have experienced multimedia pros in your arsenal – keep it simple, and keep it short. No one wants to sit through a lengthy pitch. Have a point and get to it soon. I was excited about this Q&A with our VP, Programming to promote hiring for the new TED Radio Hour show – but at 5+ minutes, even I had a hard time watching the entire thing. Continue reading →

If you follow this blog, you know I work for NPR. As you might expect, I get to work with some smart people. Mensa smart. After 18 months at NPR I’ve grown accustomed to the intelligence in the building; but am also reminded of thoughtful, caring and compassionate employees we have quite often.

One of these colleagues is Matt Thompson, our Director of Digital Initiatives (and Mischief). Yes, that is his real title. Yes, he is cool enough to carry it. Matt wears many hats at NPR, but one of them is to be the lead resume reviewer on a new hiring initiative building our new Race, Ethnicity and Culture team.

We’ve had over 1300 applications for four open positions. Matt and the hiring team will be reviewing every one of them. He recently penned an article for Poytner detailing what he’s learned in an effort to help journalists seeking jobs – 10 ways to make your journalism job application better than everyone else’s. You should read it. The tips and points he lists are valuable for all job seekers, and transcend journalism. It was one of the more thoughtful collections of advice from a hiring manager I’ve read. I wanted to highlight a few tips that really stood out: Continue reading →

It’s been almost a year since I wrote the Recruiting Manager job description below. Sadly, the role was put on hold a few months into the search and remains vacant. Does this derail my search? No chance. This person is out there. I will find them. While I may not be able to hire them now, I will one day. Together we will make magic (okay, maybe ‘magic’ was a reach but we will build one badass talent team).

So, are you out there? Are you patient? Does what you read below fire you up? If so, let’s talk.

Hey, this job looks familiar? Well it is (kinda)

You may recall a very similar looking job posting for Recruiting Manager, NPR News. That job has evolved a bit to a broader recruiting focus in this new role. The core recruiting criteria (innovative, progressive minded, proven experience building bench strength and talent pipelines, understanding of & interest in social media, commitment to diversity, etc) remain. If you possess all of these traits AND experience recruiting in a newsroom/journalism environment, I will high five you. If you possess all of these traits and no newsroom/journalism experience, but have an interest in the craft and a demonstrated history of recruiting in varied fields, I’d like to hear from you (and you may still get a high five further in the process). Continue reading →

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about.me

Global Recruiting & Talent Management Leader

Lars Schmidt is the Founder of Amplify Talent, an employer branding and recruiting optimization consultancy based in Washington DC. Prior to launching Amplify Talent, Lars was the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition & Innovation at NPR where he was responsible for providing leadership and advocacy for talent acquisition strategies that align with NPR’s strategic mission and core values. Lars held various HR and recruiting leadership roles with companies including Ticketmaster, Magento, Pencom Systems and several startups in Los Angeles.